Saturday, December 17, 2011

My Parents Week Long Visit

Where oh where has time gone?!

I have neglected this blog so badly this Holiday season. Not on purpose mind you, it feels like I have been on the go non-stop since November. And when I get a second to sit down I fall asleep almost instantly. That or I am reading. I have been sucked in while reading the "Hunger Games". I can't put those books down! I have the last book, "Mockingjay" to read. I enjoy reading but I remember why I don't do it a lot, I don't get anything else done.

The week and few days with my parents flew by. Though I knew it would, anything I get excited about comes and goes too fast.

My parents flew in the day after Thanksgiving and stay until December 4th.

The first couple days were very low key, I know when I fly in somewhere I like to not be in a rush the next day. We made cookies, watched cowboy and Christmas movies, visited Wally World, Gander Mountain, and the local supermarket.

The first Sunday they were here, we had a get together with the Bradshaws.

We had a delicious dinner of French dip, which I forgot to take a picture of. I will have to make it again so I can blog about it. Oh and the candy yams! Those were so good!

After dinner my Dad had it all planned out to learn and sing the song, "Must Be Santa".

Dave and Spencer were dressed up as Santa as we sang the song.

The Bradshaw kids were the reindeer, aren't they cute?!

The Bradshaws

Me and Dave

We decorated those sugar cookies I posted early after we were all done.

Monday morning we woke up bright and early and headed up to Amarillo. We woke up early, but we didn't leave early. :)

I wanted to show my parents Palo Duro Canyon, the Quarter Horse museum and eat at a dive called The Coyote Bluff Cafe, they have excellent burgers and cheese fries.

Dad and I checking out the big long horns at the entrance of Palo Duro Canyon.

Mom and Dad

On the way out of the canyon we saw a 4 point buck try to get the water trough that the long horns weren't letting him get to.

We ended up not making it to the hole in the wall restaurant I wanted to, but we did go to the Big Texan, home of the free 72 oz. steak if you can eat the whole meal it comes with! None of us gave it try, if you don't eat it all you are out 100 bucks!

Since we weren't going to be home for Christmas, I gave my Mom her Christmas gift early. Dad is going to have to wait till Christmas Day for his, but he's going to love it!!

Cosmo was waiting impatiently for her to open it.

That's right folks I made a quilt!

It's not perfect by any means, but she still loved it!

It's a nice reminder of Texas.

We went for a carriage ride around the Kings Gate shopping center parking lot.

This isn't a great picture, but that carriage was very cool!

We went to the Annual Carol of The Lights at Texas Tech while they were here. Tons of people met at Texas Tech to hear carols, after a few carols they light of Texas Tech University.

On the final day my parents were here I FINALLY got to open the gift from my parents to Dave and me. I have been hanging on to this wrapped present since June! It is a wheat grinder! I have been wanting one for a couple of years now.

How does Dave benefit from this you ask? Lots and lots of fresh homemade bread!

There were many other things we did while my folks were in town, we drove to Levelland to check out a music store there for my Dad.

Our church had a huge Nativity display all weekend, lots of people lent out their nativity sets to put on display for everyone to see. They had live music playing in the background. It was a very very cool thing, it really made you stop and think of the meaning of the season.

We went and saw a friend we made for the Ranching Heritage museum, Ray, the horse trainer. He took us for a little carriage ride around his arena and talked about training horses of course. I think this was one of my Dad's favorite parts of the trip.

We were able to go to the temple as well.

I had a wonderful time having my parents in our home. I was very sad they day they had to go home. I wasn't ready for them to leave. I kept telling them they could stay another week, but sadly they do have lives to get back to. Someday we will live closer to home! Then I will be able to annoy them all the time.....then they will be wishing I far away and back in Texas.